– Of course, this top 10 list is assuming that there will be some bounce-back seasons, most notably from Heyward, who had an .849 OPS as a rookie in 2010, and Choo, who came in at .883 in 2009 and .885 in 2010. Choo is the safer bet there. Heyward’s talent is undeniable, but he could go in a lot of directions this year, and I may adjust his projection based on how his reworked swing performs this spring.

– As for the bottom of the list, well, it’s another Astro, of course. Brian Bogusevic places last among semi-regular right fielders with a .690 OPS projections. I don’t see anyone else who projects as truly abysmal. Josh Reddick is next on the list with a .712 OPS. Ichiro comes in at .721.

Personally, I like Pence a lot, but I think the OPS projected is pretty reasonable. The key for him is plate discipline. He looks like he made a step last year from his previous history, and that’s great. But when he gets out of sync, his swing gets a little bit of a loop. And all of a sudden those outside sliders in the dirt on the first and second pitches look too good to resist. He is of an age where he might have matured to the next level; his Philly numbers seem to suggest it. It would be great, but we will have to see how he does. Philly will not have as much hitting around him as people thought a year ago, so he might slip back toward Houston numbers. He will certainly be very good, but he may not be great.

Upton is great and all….but until he learns to hit on the road, I don’t see him putting up those kinds of numbers. So far, he’s been largely a creation of his fantastic home park, where he has a career .389 OBP and .552 SLG. On the road, he hits like a SS, with a career .325 OBP and .424 SLG (.749 OPS).